|
Latest News
Latest News
|
News -
January 2010 News
|
|
Written by Andrew Waddington
|
|
Monday, 08 March 2010 21:32 |
 Dissapointingly, it has been confirmed that this year's Fleetwood Transport Festival has been cancelled. The event has been under threat before, mainly due to a lack of available funding, but the axe has now fallen on it and it will not be going ahead in 2010. However, it has been stated that this is due to the roadworks in Fleetwood town centre, caused by the renewal of tramway infrastructure.
The Fleetwood Transport Festival - or Tram Sunday as it is popularly called - was first held in 1985 as part of Blackpool's tramway centenary year, and featured nine historic trams operating a shuttle service between Ash Street and Fleetwood Ferry, in addition to vintage vehicle displays and other attractions. It was so succesful that it since became established as an annual event; however, the emphasis has been moved away from the trams somewhat in recent times. Due to health and safety concerns, the running of vintage trams through the streets was replaced by a shuttle from Ash Street to Thornton Gate in 2001, and as this did not prove very popular, the vintage cars have more recently been used between Blackpool and Fleetwood as ordinary specials, somewhat defeating the object of having a tram event in Fleetwood. In spite of that, the festival has remained popular with many thousands of visitors, who will no doubt miss it greatly this year, as will the traders in Fleetwood who normally see it as their busiest day of the year.
Happily the event organisers are hoping to bring the Transport Festival back in July 2011, hopefully bigger and better than it had been. That said, it remains to be seen how big a role trams will have to play in the revised event if this comes to fruition, however we wish all involved well with the project and hope that it will be a success!
|
|
Last Updated on Monday, 08 March 2010 21:52 |
|
Read more...
|
|
News -
January 2010 News
|
|
Written by Andrew Waddington
|
|
Friday, 05 March 2010 19:01 |
A large amount of the copper overhead wires along the northern stretch of the Blackpool to Fleetwood tramway has been stolen, due to the power being switched off whilst the tramway is closed for upgrading. Although signs were put up on traction poles warning potential thieves that the wire was live, this has unfortunately not fooled them, and numerous sections of wires have been lost in several stages, both before and after Christmas.
Although the problem is hardly new, this is a considerable setback to the tramway - and if the wire was replaced now, it would probably be stolen again before Easter! Therefore, it is looking increasingly likely that trams will have to terminate at Thornton Gate, or possibly even Cleveleys, when the line re-opens. Hopefully the section to Fisherman's Walk in Fleetwood will be able to re-open in May. It has been reported that the thefts have cost Blackpool Borough Council a six-figure sum, something they could certainly do without.Â
|
|
|
News -
January 2010 News
|
|
Written by Andrew Waddington
|
|
Tuesday, 02 March 2010 21:37 |
The refurbishment of the main Exhibition Hall at Crich Tramway Village has now progressed to the extent that many of the trams inside have had to be moved, so that space can be cleared for new displays inside the building. A major shunting operation took place on the weekend of 27th & 28th February, when approximately twenty of the static tram fleet were moved!
Saturday 27th February saw Glasgow 1297 placed in the main Hall after a wash. Then, Glasgow 1115 was selected to receive a heavy clean in the workshop washbay. You may recall that this tram was previously the centrepiece of the 'Tram at Night' display, and this was its first outing since 1992! It was moved back inside the Exhibition Hall the following day, when its place was taken by Leicester 76; another c ar which hadn't moved for nearly 18 years. It too has been treated to a well-deserved clean and will look spotless when it goes back on display again.
Other trams which were moved during this incredibly hectic weekend included (deep breathe!): Newcastle 102, London Transport 1, Brussels Snow Broom 96, Blackpool 49, Prague 180, Blackpool Conduit car 4, Oporto 9, Dundee 21 and the steam tram engine 'John Bull' - and that's not even a complete list!!! Well done to everyone who was involved in the tram moves, and indeed the Exhibition Hall project in general, the completion of which is now very eagerly anticipated.
|
|
Last Updated on Monday, 08 March 2010 14:54 |
|
News -
January 2010 News
|
|
Written by Andrew Waddington
|
|
Tuesday, 02 March 2010 21:24 |
Preparations are now underway for the 'Power from the Past' event at Beamish Museum, which is taking place from April 15th - 18th inclusive. As previously reported, this year's event will take on the main theme of 'Corporations & Contractors' and part of this event will include tramway works vehicles.
Conservation work has now been started on the Blackpool tower wagon 749 which is receiving some attention to its bearings, as well as the finish to protect the 100+ year old woodwork. Although 749 will not be able to be operated at the event, it is intended to have it outside on display as part of a photo opportunity on all four days of the event, when it should be posed with Blackpool 31. Indeed, 31 itself is also receiving some much-needed remedial attention, which has seen the lower body panels removed for replacement. The tram will also be repainted green temporarily, to portray its latter-day guise as works car 4, and work has already commenced on rubbing down the bodywork.
|
|
Last Updated on Monday, 08 March 2010 14:55 |
|
Read more...
|
|
News -
January 2010 News
|
|
Written by Andrew Waddington
|
|
Friday, 26 February 2010 12:52 |
The Tramway Museum Society have confirmed that they will be acquiring four more Blackpool trams, in addition to the previously announced Boat car 607 and Balloon 712. None of the four are actually available yet as they are all classed as refurbished and therefore still have a book value, but the TMS have reserved them now to ensure that these historically important cars will be guaranteed a place in the Na tional tram collection once they become available. The trams are: Refurbished Brush Railcoach 630, Centenary car 648, Twin Set 672+682 and Jubilee car 762. Whilst some of these cars may seem a little too modern for a museum, it must be stressed that the likes of the Centenary cars do have a very important role in the history of British tramcar development, as so it is extremely pleasing that these trams now have a bright future.
More information on all of these trams, plus other recently preserved cars, will be available in a special Tramways Monthly supplement, which will be available to download from this website shortly.
|
|
Last Updated on Friday, 26 February 2010 13:05 |
|
|
News -
January 2010 News
|
|
Written by Andrew Waddington
|
|
Friday, 26 February 2010 12:39 |
Latest reports have suggested that Blackpool Transport have now sold ALL of their surplus trams, with a few others that are likely to be disposed of in a few years also rumoured to have been reserved by interested parties. Whether or not all these trams will survive long-term remains to be seen, as it is perfectly possible that some may have  been bought to provide spare parts for other trams; however the amount of interest that has been shown by both preservation groups and the general public in these historic vehicles is nothing short of astonishing!
Possibly one of the most bizarre acquisitions to date has been by Farmer Parr's Animal World, a Fylde tourist attraction located near Broadwater. Apparently they have bought a tram for static display on the site, believed to be Balloon car 716, which was withdrawn from service way back in 2003 due to underframe corrosion and is currently stored in a partly stripped condition. The farm park is of course familiar to followers of the Blackpool tram scene as they are the current advertisers on Centenary car 644.
|
|
Last Updated on Friday, 26 February 2010 12:52 |
|
News -
January 2010 News
|
|
Written by Andrew Waddington
|
|
Thursday, 25 February 2010 20:01 |
 Conflicting reports are currently surrounding the Blackpool trams that are having their centre platforms widened for continued use on the core service post-upgrade. Whilst some reliable sources state that the modified cars will be in service from Easter 2010, other equally reliable sources claim that the trams will not be able to operate north of Tower, and so may not run at all this year. Apparently this is due to potential clearance issues; although there is a fairly wide space between the tracks north of the Metropole hotel, depsite this section not having been renewed in recent years, the passing loop at North Pier may be a problem. This is expected to be modified next winter, but in its current form there is some doubt as to whether a wider tram could pass if another car was positioned on the centre track.
Incidentally, the trams that could be affected by this potential problem are 700, 713, 718 and 720.
Blackpool Transport are likely to have a few headaches whilst arranging this year's operating pools - as well as the above issue, it is thought that only trams fitted with low-voltage equipment will be able to have transponders fitted to operate the new crossing signals at road junctions. This means that unrefurbished cars are unlikely to be allowed north of Bispham, reducing the number of trams available for timetabled services even further! On the plus side however, this may have some positive implications for enthusiasts, as it is highly likely that the Twin cars will have to be used more often this summer due to the lack of other trams that have low-voltage equipment.
|
|
Last Updated on Thursday, 25 February 2010 20:34 |
|
News -
January 2010 News
|
|
Written by Andrew Waddington
|
|
Thursday, 25 February 2010 19:53 |
The upgrading of the Blackpool tramway to modern standards is continuing, with work now in progress on the construction of loading platforms at three tram stops in the Bispham area: namely Norbreck (which was started first), Sandhurst Avenue and Cavendish Road. During the first week of March, this work also commenced at two further locations - namely the Cabin and Cliffs Hotel. These new platforms will eliminate the need for passengers to have to step up onto a tram, as part of the drive to improve passenger accessibility in order to make the tramway more user-friendly. These platforms will eventually appear at all tram stops within the next few years.
Incidentally, the Tramways Monthly Assistant Editor is especially pleased that Cavendish Road is one of the first stops to get a platform, as this is his most-commonly used stop due to its close proximity to the hotel where he often stays over!
|
|
Last Updated on Monday, 08 March 2010 14:54 |
|
|
|
|
<< Start < Prev 1 2 3 4 Next > End >>
|
|
Page 1 of 4 |
|
